Ruffling attachment for sewing-machines.



PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

P. G. DAVIS.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.28.1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1,

.llllll WWW PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905. P. 0. DAVIS. 0 RUFFLING ATTACHMENTFOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED T13R28, 1905.

2 SHEET$-SHEET 2.

JwW/Wtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14., 1905.

Application filed February 28, 1905. Serial No. 247,743.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PERRY G. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Attachments forSewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in attachments forsewing-machines, the present invention being a rufiier adapted to beattached to any known make of sewing-machine, the object being toprovide a rufHer having a wide range of application to differentsewing-machines without requiring the removal of the foot and the lossof time incident to such changes.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described, and pointedout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is aperspective view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line m of Fig. 1,and Figs. 1 and 5 are details.

Arepresents the main body portion of the ruffler and consists of a platehaving a heel 1 at one end adapted to rest beneath and be clamped downby the foot of the sewing-machine, it being provided with a hole 2 forthe passage of the needle. The forward end of the main body A is bentupright or at right angles to the horizontal portion, forming an arch 3.To the upper end of this arch a bellcrank lever A is pivoted, as at 5.The forward end of the bell-crank lever has a fork 6,

adapted to straddle the needle-clamp screw 8 of the sewing-machine, bythe reciprocations of which the bell-crank lever is vibrated and theruffler operated.

A plate 9 is provided with two'elongated slots 10 10, which receive theheaded studs 11 11, projecting laterally from the lower ends or feet ofthe arch 3, whereby the plate 9 has sliding connection with the mainbase-plate.

A laterally-projecting arm 12 on the sliding plate 9 has secured theretothe rufiiing-blade 13, which is made of spring metal and is toothed andslotted at its forward edge to enable it to gather the cloth, whichpasses between it and the similarly-slotted separatorplate 14 beneath itto form the ruflie.

The downwardly-projecting arm 15 of the bell-crank lever 4 projectsbetween a set-screw 16, carried in a threaded lug 16 on the forward endof the slide-plate 9, and the adjustable cam 18, also carried by anupstanding lug 18 on said plate, the lugs being spaced apart from eachother, and by vibrating between said parts with the reciprocating motionof the needle the slide-plate is forced back and forth and the rufflingis accomplished. The setscrew 16 is turned to the right to make a fullerruflie and to the left to make the ruffle more scant, while theadjustable cam 18 is provided and utilized to push the ruffler-bladeforward the desired distance when used on odd-styled machines, such asthe low arm Singer and other machines having similar heights of arms.

As a means for guiding tape or other fabric straight through the machineabove the ruflie the open slot 19 is formed in the main body of theruffler in advance of the needlehole 2, the main body portion beingreduced in thickness and upwardly inclined at this point, as shown inthe drawings, and as a similar means for guiding cloth beneath theruffle straight through the machine the fingers 2O 20 are provided, theedge of the cloth passing between the fingers, which are slightly out ofalinement with each other and are formed at one end of a 'U-shapedmember 21, the opposite shorter arm of which member is provided with aflange 30, secured to one leg of the arch 3, preferably by means of oneof the studs 11.

As an additional means for clamping the ruflier to the sewing-machineplate an adjustable plate 21 is provided. This plate at its outer endhas one or more slots 22 22, adapted to receive the thumb-screw 23, bywhich the adjustable plate is clamped down fast to the machine-plate,and as a means for adjusting it the offset slotted arm 24 is provided,which arm forms a part of the slotted adjustingplate 21. This arm isreceived and guided between lugs 25 25, turned up on a lateral extension32, projecting from the main bodyplate, and receives in its slot thethreaded stud 26, and a thumb-nut 27 screws down on the stud to securethe plate 21 and arm 24 in position.

To apply my improved ruffier, it is simply necessary to raise the footof the machine in the usual fashion and place the heel of the main bodyportion beneath it, with the needlehole in position for the passage ofthe needle. Then the fork is placed over the needle-clamp screw, and thethumb-screw 23 is inserted in one of the slots of the adjustable plate21 and screwed down tight. If the slots do not just register with thehole in the machine-plate, the adjustable plate is lengthened orshortened to the required extent, after which the thumbnut is screweddown tight on the threaded stud, and for the same machine thisadjustment does not have to be repeated. Thus it will be seen that thefoot does not have to be removed from the machine when my improvedruffler is applied, as in many makes of rufflers, and, furthermore, whenthe ruffler is not required it does not have to be removed from themachine, but may be swung aside with the thumb-screw 23 as its pivot.

By the Various adjustments my rufl'ler is applicable to any known makeof sewing-machine, and hence I term it a universal ruffier. In this Waya great deal of the nuisance heretofore experienced by the dealer in nothaving in stock rufflers for a given make of machine is obviated, as therange of adjustment and adaptability of this invention makes it servefor any machine now on the market. At the same time my improvedrufi'ilcr is simple in construction, composed of few parts, not liableto break or get out of order, may be placed on the market at a smallcost, and is eflectual in the performance of its functions.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention,

and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction hereinset forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rufiier, the combination with a main body portion, of a concavoconvex trans versely-slotted portion formed integral with the main bodyportion, a ruffling-blade, astationary separator-plate, and means foradjustably securing the rufller to the machine.

2. In a rufller, the combination with a main body portion, and means forsecuringv the same to a machine, of an upright member, a longitudinallyrecessed slide plate mounted upon the upright, a ruffler-blade carriedby the slide-plate, a separator-plate beneath the ruffler-blade,upstanding lugs mounted on the slide-plate and spaced apart from eachother, adjustable members secured to each of the lugs, and a bell-cranklever, one end of which intervenes between the adjustable members andalternately engages the same.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

PERRY G. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

HARRY T. SHENox, C. A. STUTSMAN.

